Today on the Advancing Nitrogen Smart Podcast we take a close-up look at bioreactors as an edge-of-field practice. How does this important tool work, and how does it mitigate nitrate loss? What types of carbon sources have traditionally been used in a bioreactor, and what types of carbon could be used in the future? How are bioreactors incorporated in to a farmer's operation? How are they maintained? How effective and efficient are bioreactors? What's on the horizon for the next generation of bioreactor technology? All this and more on today's episode. Read the full transcript here Guests: Brad Carlson, Extension educator (Mankato) Jeff Strock, Extension soil scientist (Lamberton) Additional resources: Nitrogen and phosphorus removal from agricultural drainage water by a modular bioreactor Bioreactor Research 3 takeaways from the Conservation Drainage Network’s annual meeting Edge of field N and P reduction strategies: What to know about conservation drainage ...
Until this year, I probably would have argued that it would be darn difficult to kill winter rye in a Minnesota winter. Last fall was dry, but eventually all six winter rye trial locations had excellent stands. They had reached at least the tillering stage before winter weather halted growth and development. The winter that followed was very open and dry, however, and resulted in enough winterkill that three locations were abandoned. I suspect that desiccation, rather than the temperature, led to their demise. The average winter survival scores of the three remaining trial locations are summarized in Table 1. My interpretation is that KWS Receptor, SU Erling, and Danko are slightly more prone to winterkill and thinner stands if there is a very open and dry winter, and that Hazlet, Rymin, and ND Gardner are the least likely to suffer stand losses in open and dry winters. Table 1 - Average winter survival score of winter rye varieties at three locations...